1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to marking a corner, particularly suited to the purpose of quickly providing and then instantly recognizing an information focal point on a shipping or merchandise parcel.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
The marking of a parcel for shipment or inventory in the past has traditionally involved marking by means of a single label positioned to be visible on one side of a box parcel having six sides. Some labels have more than one portion, or billboard, each serving a different purpose or providing different information. While some attention has been paid to develop multiple billboard designs typically applied to the center of a single side, it has been difficult to quickly locate those labels on the parcel. This is because a parcel's lifecycle presently requires dice-like repeated flipping and rotation of each parcel in the warehouse, transportation vehicle, loading dock, and parcel delivery center. As a parcel continues to move down the belts to be routed onto the proper paths for delivery trucks, and then into warehouses after delivery, a parcel will continue to require the same repetitious and repeated rotational labor to find the label which indicates its direction, urgency, and/or contents. For some time now, manufacturers and parcel shippers have allowed random placement of labels.
Currently, time-critical information markings, such as delivery urgency, as well as markings regarding shelf life, are frequently positioned indiscriminately rather than purposefully, or are difficult to understand by consumers or other inexperienced persons having a need to know.
Several types of labels attempting to use a central location having multiple purpose panels or billboard panels have been proposed, but they all suffer disadvantages. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,170 to Raymond Hatfield (Jan. 16, 1996) shows a four-billboard panel design collecting the various information in one area of the parcel in a linear format. However, since this label is applied only to one side of a parcel, it doesn't solve the problem of having to search for the label if the parcel does not happen to be oriented with the side having the label facing you.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,168 to Chigot (Jan. 16, 1996) shows a label with a peel-off face allowing for a signature that may be needed for the receiving the parcel. This label is also applied to one side of a parcel, and so suffers from the same problems as the Hatfield label mentioned above.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,457 to Reinhardt (May 23, 1995) shows an indexing and organizing system for video tape cases and/or compact audio/video disc. The system provides a self-adhesive label to be applied from one side and over two edges of a storage case. This is inadequate for shipping.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,778 to L. Kouramanis (Jun. 6, 1995) shows a "Cash on Delivery" (COD) label with an envelope that is Z-folded to provide a plurality of panels by stacking one billboard on top of itself. This label is also applied on only one side of a parcel and so suffers from the problems of Chigot and Hatfield above.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,129 to R. Haber (Mar. 24, 1992) shows two business cards joined on a common edge by a perforation line, one or both having peelable backing removable to expose adhesive. In use, one business card has its adhesive exposed and is applied to a catalog or paper, while the other can be removed by a recipient by tearing along the perforated line and carried in a wallet or applied to a telephone-file card. Haber does not show applying the card to two or more sides of an article or parcel, and provides only two billboards with only one fold line between them, and so is not particularly suited for application to a parcel corner having at least two converging edges.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,939 to S. Webendorfer et Al. (Jul. 16, 1991) shows a combination of address and multiple price labels in a one multi-part form. The multiple price labels are folded under the address portion during shipping, and the recipient then tears the shipping label along perforated lines 66 to expose the price labels so that they may be separated and applied to the retail items shipped in the parcel. Two such labels are provided on each page using a non-impact printer such as a sheet-fed laser printer, and are held together only by the peel-away backing. The labels are identical and mark only one side of a parcel, resulting in the same problems discussed above with reference to the Hatfield patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,167 to Sean O'Brien (Dec. 10, 1991) shows a three-billboard panel design that is compressed in a Z-folded or accordion-like manner. Applied as a single address label, one must remove the top or address label billboard segment to access a second billboard hidden beneath it. The label is applied on only one side of a parcel and again results in the problems discussed above with reference to the Hatfield patent.
U.S. Pat. No. D322, 815 to P. J. Gollon (Dec. 31, 1991) shows a computer-printed form- or tractor-fed label having fold lines and a spike of the same substrate for inserting in the ground. This label is not suitable for marking parcels due to its irregular shape. Furthermore, the patent shows the label portion which folds against itself leaving no substantial area with exposed adhesive for applying the label to a parcel or other article.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,158 to M. Vitol (Nov. 29, 1988) shows a tamper resistant retail price label having a slit dividing the price label into two portions. Reapplication of this label by an unscrupulous consumer desiring to swap labels would require a careful alignment. The patent does not teach applying the label to multiple contiguous sides of a parcel, and the slit extends all the way through the label making application of the label onto a corner of a parcel difficult without separating the portions. Furthermore, the label disclosed is too small to contain useful address, contents, or urgency information.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,633 to David Instance (Jan. 20, 1987) shows an information sheet folded into an envelope to protect the information printed thereon, such as instructions for assembling the product to which the envelope is attached. This envelope is not well suited for attaching to a parcel for shipment, since viewing the information would require the separation of the information sheet from the envelope structure along tear-line 24 (see col. 24, lines 50-55) and shipping labels require that the information be visible, accessible, and available at numerous points along its journey. Additionally, since the label/envelope adheres only to one side of an article, it suffers from the same problem as discussed above with reference to the Hatfield patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,368 to David Instance (Nov. 24, 1987) shows a four-billboard design that Z-folds its billboard segments appearing to be a single address label on a parcel. As in Instance's prior patent discussed in the previous paragraph, the hidden billboards are not useful during shipment, and since the label is applied only to a single side of the package, it suffers from the same problem discussed above with reference to Hatfield.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,155 to Buchele (Jul. 6, 1982) shows an indexing device for applying a label to a container. The label is applied to a six-sided bottle in a consistent position. The label disclosed extends over an irregular surface, but is not shown applied to a corner formed from at least two converging edges.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,204,639 and 4,240,848 to Barber et al. (May 27, 1980) and Barber (Dec. 23, 1980), respectively, show a label folded over a file folder or add-on tab appearing on a single edge of the folder substrate. The labels include 3 billboards all in a single row, and is therefore not adapted to mark the corner of a parcel having at least two converging edges.
U.S. Pat. No. D245, 290 to Kingsford (Aug. 2, 1977) shows a die-cut sign having fold lines that enable it to stand erect on a flat horizontal surface. This sign would be unsuitable for use as a parcel label since it would easily be damaged or torn off during shipping.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,507 to Fergg et al. (Mar. 30, 1976) shows a folding rectangular label having two slits for positioning on an envelope edge so that a central portion between the slits, which is not provided with adhesive on its back extends upward as an index flag to identify customer negatives or prints contained in the envelope. As in the patent to Kingsford above, this label would be unsuitable for use as a parcel label because it is prone to being damaged or torn-off during shipment of the parcel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,160 to Russo et al. (Oct. 28, 1975) shows a preprinted circular bar-code label which can be applied to the corner of a package. The label is not suitable as a parcel label because the entire surface of the label is taken up by the bar-code and there is therefore no available space for information relating to the destination, contents, or urgency of the parcel.
Thus, prior-art labels have primarily been designed for application onto the side or edge of a parcel or substrate. Additionally, all current inventory, merchandise, or parcel labels are known to suffer from a number of disadvantages, including wasted time in finding a label on a parcel since traditional shipping labels are visible on only one side of a parcel, friction peeling or rolling of a label off the side of a parcel. Also, the random application of a required hazardous materials or "Fragile" label to a parcel's side, perhaps not adjacent to the address label, will increase likelihood of an accident.
A collage of single labels on a parcel's sides may contain the all the necessary information. However, due to the dice-like flipping and rotating nature of handling a parcel in transit these labels may never be seen. The improper labeling or a failure to see a hazardous contents label can cause dangerous storage conditions. This unacceptable risk may be responsible for causing personal injury, toxic reactions, death, or fire. Prior-art parcel labels featuring multiple billboard segments are designed to only expose only the address. However, persons may need to apply or locate additional information on a parcel. This additional information may be related to: delivery urgency, contents, declared hazardous materials, bar-codes, storage conditions, critical shelf life, green-directions for safe environmental disposal, or time dated materials.
Objects and Advantages
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the present invention are to provide an improved package label that everyone can quickly find. Some of the benefits of an improved parcel label applied to a parcel corner in accordance with the invention include:
one can quickly find a label on a parcel; PA1 a chosen corner can be marked; PA1 it provides a label that is visible from the sides and edges of a chosen corner; PA1 it provides a label marked corner permitting additional information to be marked next to it; PA1 it provides an information focal point at a central location on a parcel; PA1 it provides a label that wraps a parcel corner and resists a friction peel or roll off; PA1 it provides a three dimensional label that can mark a parcel corner having 1, 2, 3, or 4 printable billboards of information if needed; PA1 it provides for direct printing of a three dimensional label as a corner with ink on a parcel substrate during its manufacture; and PA1 it provides a three dimensional label as a molded corner applied to a parcel.